


Wild Ride: Tales Of A Relationship

by spacewitchqueen (vixy)



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Amusement Parks, Budding Love, Dating, First Dates, Fluff, Getting to Know Each Other, Idiots in Love, M/M, Meet-Cute, Trust Issues, commitment issues, mentions of alcohol use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-20
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-04 01:47:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24815572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vixy/pseuds/spacewitchqueen
Summary: The many, many things that happen while building a relationship, from a serendipitous meeting to... something more.
Relationships: Geralt z Rivii | Geralt of Rivia/Jaskier | Dandelion
Comments: 4
Kudos: 174





	1. Wild Ride

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A blind date is not going all that great for Geralt, but anything can happen at an amusement park.

_ This is the last time. The. Last. Time. That I let anyone set me up with some ‘great guy’ to have an ‘amazing time’ _ . Geralt thought, he looked around feeling quite the opposite of amazing. Bored was more like it. Annoyed, really. This semi-blind date was proving to be a terrible idea. The day was blistering hot, the place was crowded, as was to be expected from an amusement park in the summer, and his date did not seem to be the least bit interested in him. The guy was not bad looking, maybe he was also nice but he had barely spoken to Geralt. Geralt was wondering if this wasn’t just some elaborate prank and Triss and Yennefer were about to jump out of somewhere and laugh at him.

Geralt looked around just in case Triss and Yen were actually there. He was disappointed when he didn’t see them. Geralt’s date —what was his name?— had spent most of the time on his phone, and while Geralt was not the kind to take it personally, he did wonder what was the point of asking someone out just to ignore them. He sighed, thinking how far away he was from having a heat stroke. It was then that he realized that they hadn’t done anything at the park yet.

They had met at the park’s entrance, bought their tickets separately and then they had just walked for the past hour and exchanged maybe ten words all the while. They were at a kiosk now. Geralt opened his mouth to ask what they were doing when he noticed the guy was busy talking with the lady at the register.

“Got it,” he announced, like it should mean something to Geralt. “Now we can go.”

“What did you get?” Geralt asked.

“The pin I was looking for, collector’s edition, it’s only on sale today.” The guy smiled. “Where do you want to go now?”

“I haven’t really thought about it, maybe we can check out the new ride?”

“Oh no, I meant we can get out of here. I don’t like rides, I just wanted to come here today to get the pin.”

Geralt felt his jaw tense, he wanted to say many things but all he managed was, “What?”

“You thought we’d spend the day here?”

Geralt just nodded. He was still trying to process the situation. 

“Sorry, man uh, Geralt. Triss mentioned you a couple of times and practically begged me to ask you out. I mentioned that today I had to come here and she said it’d be great, I just didn’t think…” The guy stopped. Maybe he realized he could have explained things better, maybe he could feel Geralt’s annoyance. “I guess I could have asked you to meet me later.”

“Hmm.”

“I, um, if you wanna stay and get on the rides I could wait at the shops.”

“No.” Geralt tried not to roll his eyes. “It’s ok, you don’t have to stay.”

“Sorry. I just don’t like rides and lines and.” He waved around. “See you some other day?”

“Sure,” Geralt said, already walking away.  _ More like never,  _ he thought.

When Geralt was sure his would-be date was gone, he considered leaving too. W _ ho could possibly think that an amusement park was a good place for a first date? _ Geralt thought.  _ Especially if that person didn’t even like the damn park to begin with? _ He rolled his eyes. He was on his way to the exit when he figured he might as well stay, he had already paid after all, he could try to have some fun, it had been a long time since he’d been to a theme park and he didn’t mind being by himself.

An hour later Geralt was almost regretting his decision. He was stuck in the middle of an endless line, hungry, thirsty, and bored. Geralt squinted up at the sun, longing for clouds. He twisted his hair up with one hand to let the air cool his neck but he didn’t have anything to hold his hair in place. 

“Scrunchie?” Someone said from behind him. 

Geralt turned around. “Huh?” 

On the other side of the lane separating the queue, a tall guy with brown hair, blue eyes and a wide smile was holding something out to Geralt.

“Scrunchie! For your hair?” The guy mimicked putting his short hair up.

Geralt took the hair tie from him, it was bright pink and velvety. “Thanks.” Geralt tied his hair up in a bun on top of his head. He noticed the scrunchie guy was almost as tall as him. Almost. 

“No problem. Love the hair by the way.”

“Thanks,” Geralt said again. He felt he should say something else, and this was quite something because he didn’t usually feel like talking to strangers. But this stranger seemed nice, friendly, Geralt reasoned, and they’d probably be spending at least another hour stuck in line so it’d be a good idea to say something else. While he was thinking all of this, the line had moved and the guy was no longer in front of him. Geralt felt disappointed. Because he was bored, not because the guy was good looking or anything.  _ Fine, hot. _ Geralt admitted to himself.

Some minutes later the line moved again and the guy was in front of Geralt, and Geralt still hadn’t thought about anything to say. He didn’t have to.

“Hi again!” 

“Hi.” Geralt’s mind went blank. “Thanks for the scrunchie.” 

The guy grinned. “I think it adds a nice touch to your outfit.” 

Geralt looked down at his clothes: black shirt, faded black jeans, black boots. “I agree.” He snorted. “What’s your name?”

“Jaskier.”

“Geralt.”

“Well, hello, Geralt.”

Geralt noticed Jaskier didn’t seem to be with anyone else either. “Are you here alone?”

“Nah. My friends went to get something to eat, no one wanted to wait in line for 2 hours. You?”

“No. I mean, yeah, I’m on my own.”

“Just couldn’t wait to check out the new ride, right?”

“Something like that.”

The rest of the waiting time did not feel as tedious. Jaskier was fun and open in a sincere way, it would be hard not to like him. Geralt regretted not asking for his number or email or something when they made it to the front of the line and Jaskier went in with a different group. He kept an eye out for Jaskier after getting off the ride but couldn’t find him, Geralt figured he’d gone looking for his friends. He smoothed a few stray hairs back in place and felt the soft fabric of the scrunchie still holding his messy bun. He smiled. He had a good feeling about it.

Not even an hour later Geralt bumped into Jaskier at another queue. Geralt had decided to use the single-rider line and hadn’t paid much attention to the people around him. If he had, he would’ve noticed a certain brunet in front of him. Jaskier turned around.

“Hey!”

“Oh, hi.”

“Are you following me?”

“What? No.”

“I’m just kidding. Nice to see you again, Geralt. Are you having fun?”

“Yes.”

“I wasn’t sure about this roller coaster but hey, since I’m already here, right? I mean, it’s not like the ticket is cheap.”

“Hmm.” Geralt rolled his eyes, thinking that was exactly why he had stayed.

“Sorry if I’m bothering you, my friends say I talk too much sometimes, we can just stand here in silence.”

“No.” Geralt shook his head. “I agree with that. The ticket price, not that you talk too much. Well, a bit, but I like it.”

The line moved fast, it felt like no time at all and they ended boarding the same car. Jaskier held Geralt’s hand the moment the lap bar was lowered and locked, and away they went. Geralt was sure the flutter in his stomach was due to the loops and sudden turns. Mostly. The ride seemed to be over too soon. Geralt was surprised to see he was actually smiling in the souvenir picture. Jaskier’s face was somewhere between exhilaration and a silent scream. Jaskier took a photo of the screen with this phone.

“Have to show everyone I did this.” He posted the picture to three different social media apps. Geralt could’ve sworn Jaskier tilted his phone so Geralt could see the screen but he wasn’t sure. He was about to ask if he could message him sometime when someone yelled Jaskier’s name. “Got to go. See you around, Geralt.” 

Geralt didn’t lose hope of bumping into Jaskier again, but no such luck. When the park was about to close, as he was walking to the exit he cursed himself for not asking Jaskier for his number or something. He did remember the username of Jaskier’s social media accounts but Geralt did not like the idea of messaging Jaskier not having actually asked if it was okay, it felt stalkery. 

Almost without thinking he went into the last store by the gates. He didn’t really want anything but he could imagine two very disappointed girls when they found out he had spent all day at a theme park and hadn’t got them anything. Geralt reached out for a colorful set of ears, they were the last on the rack. Someone else grabbed them at the same time.

“Do you mind? I kinda had my eye on  _ this _ all day.” It was Jaskier. He grazed Geralt’s hand. 

“All day?” Geralt took his chance. “I’ll trade these for my number.”

“Interesting.” Jaskier crossed his arms. “What else do you offer?”

Geralt raised an eyebrow. “What do you have in mind?”

“A date?” Jaskier suggested, the faintest blush coloring his cheeks.

“Deal.”

They left the park together, talking and laughing. Geralt was wondering if it’d be too forward to kiss Jaskier. He didn’t seem to think so, he gave Geralt a soft kiss on the lips before saying goodnight. On his way home, Geralt realized he was still wearing the pink scrunchie and smiled. The day had turned out alright after all. He felt like he had actually been on a date, even if it wasn’t the one that had been planned, and he was very much looking forward to the next one.


	2. A Hundred Days With You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot can happen in just one day. And so much more can —and does— happen in one hundred. Chronicle of a budding relationship.

Day 1

Jaskier could not believe his luck. He met people all the time. Fine, he met guys all the time but so far he hadn’t met someone like Geralt. And he definitely would not have imagined meeting someone like Geralt at a theme park. What were the odds? At first he had doubted whether Geralt might be interested in him, but he’d left the park with his phone number, a kiss and the promise of a date. Hat-trick.

Day 4

A day had gone by. Then another. Jaskier stared at his phone willing it to buzz. A call, a text, anything. Nothing. He would text Geralt then, he had given Jaskier his phone after all. No big deal, right? Then why was he so nervous? This was so unlike him.

Jaskier took a deep breath and texted Geralt. Something casual, ‘hi, how are you?’. He was hoping it would be easy to find something to talk about and agree on the details to go out. An hour later, Geralt hadn’t replied. Jaskier tried not to read too much into it, Geralt might be busy working or just not have his phone with him. Two hours later it occurred to Jaskier that it might be a better idea to just call Geralt. He did. The call went to voicemail. This did not bode well.

Day 5

The day was cloudy, it matched Jaskier’s gloomy mood. Geralt had not replied, had not returned his call. He didn’t want to believe Geralt had given him a wrong number but he also did not know what else to think. He had almost given up on the idea of going out on a date with Geralt. Almost.

A strong buzz startled Jaskier. Geralt was calling him. He fumbled with the phone, almost rejected the call, and answered it almost screaming.

“Hi?!” 

“Hi. Is everything ok?”

“Yes! Hi! How are you?”

“Hi. I just saw you called me yesterday, sorry I didn’t pick up. My phone died and I didn’t realize because I was with my band.”

“Band? Like a gang?” Jaskier chuckled.

“No. Like a rock band.”

“Oh, so you play?”

“Yes.”

“So, do you want to hang out later? We could catch a movie.”

“Sure. Listen, I got to go. Text me where to meet you.”

The call had not been that smooth, but Jaskier reasoned that it’s not always easy to talk to someone you don’t know that well. Whatever, it was done and they had agreed to go out. First step.

Day 6

The movie turned out to be a less than stellar idea. Jaskier had fussed so much about his appearance that he lost track of time and arrived at the theater only a few minutes before they had to go in so they didn’t really have a chance to talk. 

Jaskier had chosen a generic superhero film thinking they could relax, share a laugh and comment, but it turned out to be so loud that the only way Jaskier could communicate anything was by screaming, and when he tried this he got an emphatic shushing hiss. When the movie ended, it was very late. Too late to suggest going anywhere else, Jaskier feared. It seemed Geralt was of that mind as well. He apologized again for not answering his phone, assuring Jaskier that he wasn’t blowing him off but when he was rehearsing he just forgot about everything. They stood in silence for a moment. Jaskier was trying to think how he could ask to see Geralt again when Geralt spoke.

“This was fun, I hadn’t been to the movies in quite a while.” He smiled. “Thank you, Jaskier.” 

“Don’t mention it. Wait, you don’t like movies?”

“I do. I’m just more of a watch-stuff-at-home guy.”

Jaskier was too stunned to speak. He hadn’t even thought about asking Geralt if he wanted to do something else. He’d blown it, he just knew.

“Goodnight, Jaskier.” Geralt’s voice brought Jaskier to the present. 

“Bye, Geralt.”

\---

After the movie fiasco, Jaskier had been in a gloomy mood, this time he was certain that he would not see Geralt again. He tried to shrug it off but he was definitely not his lighthearted, bubbly self. Until a couple of days later, that is, when he got a text. And then another. 

Jaskier stared at the picture on his screen. It seemed to be a flyer for an event at a local bar. He’d never been to that particular bar, but he knew where it was. The second message was a short text from Geralt: “My band will play here. Let me know if you’d like to come.” Jaskier didn’t really have to think that, of course he wanted to go. He did edit his reply several times though, from ‘Yes!!!!!!!’, to ‘Sure!!!’, and finally settled on ‘See you there’. Next weekend could not come fast enough.

\---

Day 14

If the amount of time that Jaskier took to pick his clothes was anything to go by, anyone could have said that going to the bar to see Geralt play was the equivalent of dressing for a royal ball. Jaskier had gone through half his closet trying out different outfits, carefully analyzing the pros and cons of each one. In the end, he chose a black shirt —telling himself that no, it was not because Geralt seemed to favor darker colors—, his favorite jeans and black sneakers. 

Trying to avoid the previous week’s mistake, Jaskier actually arrived early this time. The bar was still pretty much empty. He didn’t mind sitting by himself. He was looking at the door, watching the place fill slowly when Geralt entered, carrying a sleek black guitar case, his white hair in a loose ponytail. Jaskier waved, grinning. Geralt walked over to him.

“Hi.”

“Hi. Are you by yourself?”

“Yeah. Should I have invited someone?”

“Yeah. No. I mean, I just think you’re going to get bored.”

“No way.”

Geralt looked around until he spotted something or someone. “My friends are sitting over there if you want to join them.” He pointed to a table close to the stage. “I’ll come out after our set.”

“I don’t want to bother them.”

“You won’t. If anything, they will bother you.” Geralt rolled his eyes. “Come on.”

They made their way to the table. Two young women were sitting at it, surrounded by three empty chairs with jackets and purses on them, obviously saving seats for other people. 

“Triss. Yen.” Geralt gently touched one of them on the shoulder to get her attention, the soundcheck cacophony was starting to get loud. “This is Jaskier, is it ok if he sits here?”

“Ooooh, is he…” The girl stopped abruptly, biting her lip. Jaskier could swear he’d seen Geralt squeeze her shoulder harder. “Of course he can sit here! Hi, sweetheart.” The other girl smiled at him. “I’m Triss, and this is Yen.” Triss pointed at the girl with black hair who was still half biting her lip, half giggling. ”Just ignore her.”

“Ignore them both,” Geralt muttered, but he didn’t really sound annoyed. “See you later.”

Jaskier followed Geralt with his eyes until he disappeared behind a door that read ‘Backstage’. When he turned around again, both Tris and Yen were looking at him with obvious interest. He smiled at them.

“Are you the theme park guy?” Yen blurted. 

“Yeah, I suppose I am,” Jaskier said, still smiling.

“What do you think about Geralt?” Yen asked. 

“Yen!” Triss scolded her. “Be nice, won’t you?”

At that moment the place went dark and a band came on stage. Jaskier strained his eyes but he didn’t really need to do that to notice that Geralt wasn’t there. The band started playing and Jaskier was grateful that the interrogation could not continue. 

When the first band finished their set, Jaskier prepared himself for more questions but Yen didn’t ask him anything else. They talked about their favorite drinks and not a long time later, the stage lights went out again. This time, Jaskier could make out Geralt’s silhouette. Yen and Triss clapping and cheering confirmed this must be Geralt’s band indeed.

The three guys on stage looked very similar, almost like brothers. Jaskier thought perhaps they really were related. But he kept his eyes on Geralt most of the time to truly notice the other two men. Geralt played the bass, and for someone who looked so self-contained and guarded, he projected something different while playing a mean groove, walking back and forth, shaking his head and even kicking from time to time. The set finished too soon for Jaskier’s liking. 

Some minutes later, the door that led backstage opened and Geralt appeared followed by his bandmates. It was then that Jaskier noticed he was obviously in one of their seats. He looked around trying to find an empty stool or chair but the place was full. He was about to stand up when he felt an arm around his shoulders.

“Not leaving already are you?” It was not Geralt. “Did we play so badly?” 

“No, of course not. It was great,” Jaskier said. “I just wanted to look for a chair...”

“Hands off, Eskel. You don’t want to start a fight with Geralt, do you?” Yen teased. Triss elbowed her but she was snickering as well. Jaskier felt the heat rising to his cheeks, he wanted to say something but then he heard Geralt beside him.

“Yeah, hands off, Eskel,” Geralt said. Eskel raised his hands jokingly and sat down beside Jaskier. The other chair had also been occupied by the third bandmate. “Eskel, Lambert, this is Jaskier. Jaskier, meet the idiots.” 

Jaskier nodded. “Nice to meet you. I liked your set.”

“Thanks. Glad you’re here,” Lambert said, raising his voice a bit more than was necessary. 

“Absolutely,” Eskel piped up. “We had to beg Geralt to stop being such a dork and invite you.” He winked at Jaskier and Geralt smacked the back of his head. Everyone laughed.

The banter was interrupted by the third band’s set. Geralt was still standing behind Jaskier, between that and the noise, it was difficult to talk but Geralt’s arm around his shoulders made him feel better. 

Not too long after the third band finished playing it was closing time. Everyone seemed to be having a good time but it was time to go. Lambert and Eskel got up. “Come on, Geralt, let’s go pick up our stuff,” Eskel said, his voice somewhat slurred.

“Give me a minute. I’ll walk Jaskier to his car.”

Jaskier stood up, taking the hint. “Nice meeting you, guys.” Everyone said it was nice meeting him, and even Yen said she hoped he’d hang out with them again soon.

The air outside the bar was cool, a light drizzle was falling. Jaskier’s ears were ringing but he felt happy. “Sorry about that,” Geralt sighed. Jaskier looked at him, confused. “My friends.” Geralt shook his head and smirked. “They’re just… I hope they didn’t bother you too much with their jokes.”

Jaskier tried not to look disappointed, of course it had all been a joke. “No, they’re cool. I liked them.”

“Good. They liked you, too.” Geralt pulled him into a quick kiss. “I know we couldn’t really talk today, do you want to go out for lunch tomorrow?” 

Jaskier nodded, too giddy to speak.

“See you tomorrow, then. Drive safely.” Geralt walked back to the bar. 

Jaskier drove home with a huge smile on his face.

Day 15

Jaskier felt significantly less nervous the next day. He didn’t take as long getting ready, he was just happy to see Geralt again so soon. And he was hungry.

Lunch with Geralt turned into coffee and then into dinner. They finally got the chance to talk, and talk they did. 

Jaskier had never been shy when talking about himself, he actually liked it. He noticed Geralt was more reserved but he also seemed to be having a good time. He had a deep laugh that made Jaskier want to tell all the funny anecdotes he knew. 

After dinner they walked around the block, still talking and laughing. They passed Jaskier’s car twice and just kept walking. Jaskier didn’t want to say goodnight, and apparently neither did Geralt. There were two things on Jaskier’s mind.

“Yesterday was awesome, thanks for inviting me.”

“Glad you liked it.”

“Did your friends say anything else?”

Geralt laughed. “They were mostly shocked I brought someone.” He shrugged. “They didn’t believe it when I told them I’d met someone at the theme park and we were going out.”

“We’re going out?”

“I hope so.”

Jaskier attempted to pull Geralt into a kiss, like Geralt had done the previous night, but he miscalculated and pulled too hard, they stumbled, hit a wall, and their foreheads crashed. They laughed. Geralt grabbed him by the neck and kissed him, softly for a second and then deeply.

“We are,” Jaskier whispered when he caught his breath. 

Day 20

They didn’t really go out for their next date. Geralt suggested dinner at his place, nothing fancy just pizza and beer. 

Geralt’s apartment was small and tidy. Jaskier thought the place could use a couple more lamps but he could not complain. They ate, had a few beers, played video games, and made out. Jaskier really could not complain.

Suddenly, Jaskier started wondering if Geralt would ask him to stay. He wondered if it would be too forward to mention it, what if Geralt hadn’t really thought about that or —worse— didn’t want him to stay. He didn’t notice he had stopped kissing Geralt back. 

“Is everything ok?” Geralt asked, his lips still touching Jaskier’s.

“Yeah, I just. Can I.” Jaskier looked at his watch.

“Oh.” Geralt raised himself from the couch, where he had pinned Jaskier underneath him. “Sorry. You’re right, it’s late.” He combed his hair with his fingers. “I’ll walk you out.”

“But…” Jaskier stood up mentally kicking himself because he didn’t care about the stupid time, he could still be making out with Geralt, it didn’t sound like Geralt would’ve asked him to leave but now he definitely didn’t want to ask if he could stay. 

Jaskier was still sulking when they got to his car. “G’night,” he mumbled. Geralt grabbed him by the waist and turned him around, pushing him against the car to kiss him.

“That’s a proper goodnight kiss,” Geralt whispered in Jaskier’s ear. “See you tomorrow.”

By the time Jaskier got his breath back, Geralt had gone back to his apartment. Tomorrow. Jaskier could not complain.

Day 21

They had planned another afternoon in, this time at Jaskier’s place. Jaskier spent the morning cleaning and then went out to buy snacks. Geralt had said he’d be there sometime after lunch so Jaskier took his time, made himself something to eat, and waited. And waited. He reasoned that Geralt hadn’t really told him what time he’d arrive and it was still early. He checked his phone. Nothing. He waited some more.

A little after six he got a message from Geralt. “Still with the band. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Jaskier tried not to feel too disappointed. He texted back “No problem” and went back to waiting.

Geralt arrived at half past eight. Not that late, but certainly not as early as they’d planned.

“I’m so sorry, Jas. We were working on a new song and then Eskel blew his amp and he made us wait while he went to borrow another one.” Geralt rolled his eyes and yawned. 

“You look tired.” Jaskier bit his lip. “We don’t have to hang out today, you should go get some rest.”

“I’m fine.” Geralt pulled at his messy bun letting his hair down. “Let’s eat and watch a movie.”

They settled on Jaskier’s couch with snacks, takeout containers and a bottle of wine. After eating, Geralt leaned on Jaskier’s shoulder. A couple of wine glasses later, his head was on Jaskier’s lap facing the TV. Jaskier was playing with Geralt’s hair and keeping a running commentary of the movie. He realized that Geralt had stopped answering and laughing at his remarks, and his breathing was slow, rhythmic. Geralt had fallen asleep. 

Jaskier managed to slide from under Geralt without waking him up. He turned off the TV, covered Geralt with a blanket and then went to his room. He woke up a couple of hours later, hungry. He tiptoed to the kitchen looking for the evening’s leftovers. He rummaged in the takeout bags as quietly as he could but he wasn’t quiet enough.

“Midnight snack?” 

Jaskier dropped the bag, startled. Geralt was standing behind him. “You’re awake!” He picked up the bag and put it on the small kitchen table. “I mean, did I wake you?” Geralt nodded. “I’m sorry, do you want to continue watching the movie?”

“No.”

“Oh. Do you want to go?”

“No.” Geralt smirked. He pulled Jaskier closer and kissed him. “I want this.”

“Me, too.”

They walked to the bedroom with their arms around each other, bumping into what felt like every piece of furniture Jaskier owned, and nearly falling twice. By the time they made it to the bed in a tangle of limbs, they were both laughing and Jaskier was sure he’d have bruises on his legs. But Geralt was still kissing him and grinding against him, so that thought soon faded from his mind.

“Just tell me how far you want to go,” Geralt whispered in Jaskier’s ear, his voice hoarse. 

“Maybe just.” Jaskier slid his hand into Geralt’s pants. “This for now.” Geralt smiled and nodded. 

It wasn’t that Jaskier didn’t want to have sex with Geralt, but he wanted something different for their first time, something special. But that didn’t mean they couldn’t get off tonight.

\---

They met almost every weekend after that, and quite a few weekdays as well. Sometimes they’d go out. Yet, Jaskier’s favorite way to spend his Saturday afternoons were in Geralt’s dimly lit living room, half watching a movie while making out.

\---

Day 35

Jaskier had really wanted their first time to be memorable, special but everytime he tried to think about what would make it special his mind wandered. He also didn’t want to plan too much, he wanted to be spontaneous.

As it turned out, their first time ended up being backstage after one of Geralt’s shows. Jaskier had offered to help Geralt pick up his gear and one thing led to another. It had been hot, hurried but very satisfying. Jaskier’s legs were still shaking as they left the bar. Then they went to Geralt’s place, where they had their second time. 

Day 99 

Some three months later Jaskier and Geralt had found a comfortable routine. Jaskier thought they worked well as a couple because they had the right amount of things in common and things where they could complement each other. During all that time, a silly quarrel about where to spend the night was the worst fight they’d had.

Jaskier felt they were ready to spend the whole weekend together. What could possibly go wrong?

Oh, so many things.

First, they argued about whose car to take. Jaskier’s car was newer, but Geralt’s pickup truck obviously had more room. The truck won after Geralt promised to let Jaskier drive.

They were going to the beach, just a four-hour drive and then it would be all fun in the sun and cocktail drinks. Or so they thought. 

Geralt had warned Jaskier not to speed too much, the truck was reliable but it wasn’t made for racing. Jaskier, eager to get to the beach as soon as possible, stepped on the gas like something was on fire. Suddenly, something did appear to be on fire.

“Slow down,” Geralt grunted.

“We’re almost there!”

_ Boom.  _ Jaskier took his foot off the pedal but it was too late.  _ Whoosh.  _ The ominous sound of air escaping from the tire.

“Please tell me you have a spare tire.” Jaskier gripped the wheel and carefully rolled the truck to a standstill, managing to get off the road.

“Of course I do.” Geralt rolled his eyes. “Which is lucky considering I almost took it out to fit your five suitcases.” He got out of the car. Jaskier noticed he paused, took a deep breath and closed the door instead of slamming it. 

It took some time to get the tire changed. Raising the vehicle with the jack proved particularly tricky, but they succeeded. Forty minutes later they were on their way, Geralt behind the wheel.

One missed exit and another argument later, they still had not arrived. Jaskier was hungry and was starting to get moody. Geralt was brooding, quieter than usual. And then it started to rain. A light drizzle turned into a deluge in a matter of minutes. Luckily, they were not too far away from the room Jaskier had booked. They parked and ran inside, but they could not avoid getting soaked.

Once in the room, Jaskier looked out the window glumly. It was still pouring outside. No walk on the beach, no lying around in the sun. “Figures, nothing ever goes as planned.” 

Geralt walked towards him, toweling his hair dry. “What do you mean? This is just what I imagined.” Jaskier turned around, angry, he was about to retort when he saw Geralt was smiling, truly amused. “Thank you for planning this.”

Jaskier nodded. “Sorry for not listening to you. About your car.”

“Sorry for being a jerk.”

“I just wanted us to have a good time,” Jaskier muttered.

“We still can.” Geralt took Jaskier’s hand. “Come on, let’s get out of these wet clothes.”

Jaskier woke up a couple of hours later, the last rays of sun filtering through the blinds. He yawned and covered his eyes with his hand, the light was hurting him. The light. Sun!

“Geralt!”

“Hmm.”

Jaskier shook him awake. “Look! The sun is out!”

They went outside to walk on the beach. It was raining lightly but it felt good to be out, walking, holding hands. There was a rainbow in front of them. Jaskier didn’t remember if you were supposed to make a wish on rainbows, maybe he would anyway.

“I just realized we’ve known each other for 100 days.” Jaskier said.

Geralt raised an eyebrow. “Is that so?”

“Yeah. I mean. No big deal or anything, I’m not keeping count just…” 

Geralt stopped walking and spun Jaskier around, towards him. He held on to Jaskier’s hand and cupped his face with his free hand. The kiss sent shivers down Jaskier’s spine.

“Here’s to the first hundred days.”

“And here’s to another hundred.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> First of all, I am so sorry for moving things around for the story. The first chapter was supposed to be a one shot, maybe an independent story for a series. But when I was writing this part, it felt more like a second chapter, a continuation, than a separate thing. I hope you like it.  
> Thank you for reading <3


	3. It's Complicated

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After almost a year together, Jaskier and Geralt hit a bump in the road. Can they work things out?

They had been together for months now. Jaskier was not keeping count of the days any longer. But he was looking forward to the first year milestone, only a month away. By now he knew that Geralt didn’t like any big celebrations or huge romantic gestures, but Jaskier still wanted to commemorate the date somehow. He settled on a surprise romantic dinner at Geralt’s place, Jaskier would cook, there’d be wine, it would be great. 

There was something else on Jaskier’s mind. The thought had popped into his head a few weeks ago, while driving home. Home. Wouldn’t it be nice if he didn’t have to go home every couple of days to get clean clothes? If he could wake up next to Geralt every day and just. Be home already. They should move in together. It was a logical step, Jaskier reasoned. They spent most of the time together anyway and it didn’t make sense to pay two rents and have to rush from the other person’s apartment whenever they needed something that wasn’t there. Yes. They could at least start talking about it. 

The first conversation didn’t go quite as Jaskier had expected. He had planned to bring up the topic gently but they were making out and excitement got the best of him.

“I was thinking…” Jaskier began, pulling away from a kiss. Geralt pulled him back towards him.

“Sorry, you were saying?” Geralt asked, a smirk on his face. Jaskier’s face was flushed and he didn’t look like he could articulate a coherent sentence.

“Ah, yes. I…” Jaskier took a second to gather his thoughts, when he couldn’t come up with a more elegant way to say it he just blurted out. “I was thinking we should move in together.”

“Hmm.” Geralt leaned away from Jaskier. “I. I don’t know, Jas.”

Jaskier wanted to reassure him but he couldn’t hide his disappointment. “Why not?”

“I need more time.”

“Oh. Yeah, I mean. Sure. Just. Think about it, okay?”

The rest of the evening was slightly awkward.

A few days later, Jaskier was over that. He could wait, moving together wasn’t that big of a deal. He would focus on their anniversary dinner and then they’d take it from there.

One year together. Well, sort of. Jaskier was counting from the day they had met, instead of when they started dating. He couldn’t remember if they had even said something like “we’re dating now”, they just were. So the anniversary of the day they met was as good a day as any. He went shopping for the things he would need to prepare dinner and headed to Geralt’s apartment.

A shirtless broad-shouldered someone opened the door. But it wasn’t Geralt.

“Eskel! Hi!”

“Hi, Jas. Come on in.” Eskel made his way to the living room and let himself collapse on the couch, looking quite at home.

Jaskier stepped inside and closed the door behind him. Geralt wasn’t anywhere on sight.

“Is Geralt here?”

“Yeah. Shower.”

Jaskier didn’t want to jump to conclusions, he was sure there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for the current situation. At least Eskel wasn’t in the shower with Geralt, right?

“Hey, jerk! Get in here before the water goes cold,” Geralt called from inside the bathroom. Eskel stood up from the couch and went inside, without even looking at Jaskier.

“Should I join you as well?” Jaskier yelled, anger clear in his voice.

Geralt came out of the bathroom a second later, hair dripping, a towel around his waist. “Jas!”

“Yeah, me. Remember me?”

“What are you doing here?”

“Intruding on a hot date, apparently. Happy anniversary, by the way.”

“What the hell are you talking about? I was about to go to your place.”

“I’m sure you were. After you finished whatever it is you were doing here.” Jaskier gestured vaguely towards the bathroom. He couldn’t contain himself. “Is this why you don’t want us to move in together, because you are seeing other people?”

“Eskel? You think we…?” Geralt closed his eyes and took a deep breath. “We got drunk last night after rehearsing at his place, his roommate kicked us out so we came here. We drank some more and he threw up so we put his shirt in the washer. He crashed here and then we spent the morning cleaning. I needed a shower before going to see you and you know hot water runs out, that’s why I called him. That’s it, that’s the big story.”

Jaskier looked at the floor, for once in his life he was at a loss for words. “I’m sorry.”

“Me too. I’m really sorry you were so quick to think I would do something like that, Jas.” Geralt’s voice was really low, Jaskier raised his eyes to meet his. Geralt ran his fingers through his wet hair and sighed. “If you don’t trust me then why would you want to live with me.”

“I do trust you! I just. It made no sense.”

“I guess it doesn’t.”

“Should I…?” Jaskier couldn’t bring himself to say it, he looked at the door.

Geralt shrugged, turned his back on Jaskier and walked to his room. Jaskier felt tears welling up in his eyes, he wanted to apologize again but he didn’t know what else he could say.  _ Is this it? _ He kept thinking. No, it couldn’t be, they had to talk. The sound of Eskel coming out of the shower reminded Jaskier that they were not alone, it was probably not a good time to talk and anyway, he didn’t want Eskel to see him like this. He wiped at his tears with the back of his hand and left.

When he got home, the horrible feeling in Jaskier’s chest had taken over. He tried calling Geralt but his calls went straight to voicemail, he gave up on the calls and instead texted “Please call me”. Jaskier couldn’t eat that night, he thought he wouldn’t sleep but around 3 am he dozed off. He woke up with a start a couple of hours later and checked his phone. Nothing. An hour later a sharp buzz brought Jaskier out of uneasy dreams, the four words on the text hit him harder than any nightmare: “I need a break”.

Time lost all meaning for the first few days after the breakup. Jaskier was numb rather than sad, as if he had entered an altered reality where feeling hadn’t been invented. He held onto the hope that Geralt would forgive him, that he really just needed time for himself, but every day that passed without a text, a call, Jaskier felt it really was over. Two weeks later he was absolutely convinced, he was utterly miserable. And everything hurt.

Everything. Every single thing reminded Jaskier of him, he didn’t even want to think about his name, he missed saying it out loud. He missed everything about Geralt —his eyes, his voice, his laughter, the way his face looked when he was asleep. All the happy memories were like physical wounds. He wondered if Geralt felt the same way. More than once, insomnia had Jaskier on the verge of calling Geralt, or talking himself out of straight up going to his place. Only the fear of Geralt getting angry at him, of him not even picking up the phone held him back.

And then he had an idea. Jaskier couldn’t objectively say it was a good idea, but it was there haunting him: He could ‘casually’ go to the bar, maybe it would be easier to talk to Geralt in a relaxed setting. It could work. Jaskier checked the band’s instagram to see when they’d play next, he hoped he’d have a week or two to prepare, to practice what he would say. The show was the very next day.

Jaskier spent a long time picking his outfit and yet he still arrived early at the bar. He was nervous, his stomach was in knots. What if Geralt ignored him? Worse, what if he asked him to leave? Jaskier started drinking, more to calm himself than because he really wanted to. By the time he spotted Yen and Triss at their usual table he was feeling tipsy. He considered joining them but then he saw Geralt and his resolve faltered. Jaskier didn’t want Geralt to think he was forcing him to talk by involving his friends, it would be better to try to talk to Geralt after their set. 

The next hour felt like an eternity, and Jaskier had gone through two more drinks and had a third in front of him. He was definitely lightheaded by the time he saw Geralt, Eskel and Lambert sit with the girls. He stood up, trying to get Geralt’s attention, and he saw someone else was sitting with them. A tall blond guy was beside Geralt, an arm around his shoulders. Jaskier could not see Geralt’s face but he realized he didn’t have to. It was over. Geralt had evidently moved on. The blond guy leaned closer to Geralt and Jaskier looked away, he didn’t need to see this. He downed his drink and stood up, ready to leave but his movement was too sudden he tripped with the stool and bumped into someone.

“I thought it was you. Hi, Jaskier.” Yennefer stopped him from falling.

“Hi. I was just leaving,” Jaskier said, consciously trying not to slur his words.

“Really? Without saying hi? What’s going on between you and Geralt.”

“Nothing.” Jaskier shook his head and felt dizzier. “Nothing at all.” He felt a lump forming in his throat and prayed he wasn’t about to cry —or worse, throw up— in front of Yennefer.

“Then why is he all morose and mopey and you’re over here looking like someone died.” 

“Mopey?”

Yenn rolled her eyes. “Did you two idiots fight?” Jaskier nodded. She rolled her eyes again. “Should have guessed. Well, fix it. Talk to him because he won’t talk to us, any of us and he’s. I don’t even know, he’s just not fine and I don’t like seeing him like that, okay?”

Jaskier wanted to tell her that there was nothing he’d like more than getting back together with Geralt but then he looked back at the table. “He doesn’t want to talk to me,” he said, a note of bitterness in his voice.

“Trust me, he does, he just might think you don’t want to. Please stop being big babies, both of you. I want everyone to be happy at my surprise birthday party next week. Triss will text you the details.”

“Surprise? Then how do you…”

“If you want something to be done right, you gotta do it yourself.” She winked.

That brief encounter with Yennefer had made Jaskier feel somewhat better, like maybe there was still a chance to make it work with Geralt. “Talk to him,” she’d told him. That was easier said than done. Jaskier waited until the next day to call Geralt. He knew Geralt probably wouldn’t answer, he liked to sleep in after shows, so Jaskier would just leave a short message and then he’d see what happened. 

Geralt picked up on the second ring. Jaskier panicked and hung up. Before he could press the call button again his phone was buzzing, Geralt was calling him back.

“Hi!” Jaskier answered in a high-pitched voice.

“Hey,” Geralt said. “Is everything ok?”

Jaskier could have screamed. No, of course not, everything was not ok. “Yeah, all good. You?”

“Hmm.”

“I wanted to ask you…”

“Yes?”

“Did I leave my blue shirt at your place?” Jaskier dug his fingernails into his palms, mentally kicking himself. 

“Oh. I don’t know, I’ll check. Is that all?”

“Yeah,” Jaskier bit his lip, why was it so hard to say what he wanted to say? “Sorry to bother you so early. Bye.” 

Jaskier figured it’d be better to go see him, but he was very busy during the week and whenever he had time Geralt was not at home. He was gathering up the courage to call Geralt again when Triss sent him the invitation for Yenn’s party. He did not feel up to it. 

“I’ll try to make it.” He texted Triss. 

“You better be there or Yenn’s going to kill you.” Triss replied.

_ No pressure then, _ Jaskier thought.

The day of Yenn’s birthday party came and Jaskier still hadn’t talked to Geralt. He figured he would get a chance at the party, maybe while everyone else was drinking and dancing, he could ask Geralt to what? Listen to him? Forgive him? Well, something like that. “Fix it,” Yenn had said and Jaskier would try.

Unfortunately for him, Jaskier had to work overtime so by the time he arrived at the party everything was too loud, too dark and too crowded. Yenn’s party was at the bar where the guys usually played, Jaskier wondered how they’d managed to convince the owner to let them close the bar on a Saturday night for a private event but that really was the least of his worries at the moment.

After bumping into more people than he cared to count, Jaskier spotted a familiar sight: Geralt’s hair, glowing under the black lights. He made his way toward him and could not believe his eyes. Eskel and Lambert were shirtless, maybe not quite drunk but definitely getting there. Geralt’s shirt was unbuttoned and he was swaying and laughing. “Mopey, my ass,” Jaskier muttered to himself and turned his back on them. Maybe this party wasn’t a good idea, not for talking. Maybe the right time to talk had already passed.

Jaskier looked around trying to find Triss or Yenn. He didn’t want to leave without wishing her a happy birthday. 

“Are you lost?” The blond guy that he’d seen with Geralt at the bar last week was here.

“No.” Jaskier shook his head. “I’m just looking for Yenn.”

“Ah, the birthday girl. We can dance while we look for her.” The blond guy smirked. “Are you here alone?”

“No, he’s not.” 

Jaskier whipped around. Geralt was standing behind him, pulling on his hand. 

“Sorry, I didn’t mean…” 

But Jaskier didn’t hear the rest, Geralt had led him away and a second later they were outside the bar.

They stared at each other for a minute.

“Sorry,” They said at the same time.

Jaskier shook his head. “No, you don’t have anything to apologize for. I’m sorry I doubted you, I shouldn’t have…”

“I’m sorry I pushed you away, I panicked when you talked about moving in together and I guess I was looking for an excuse to pick up a fight. I just didn’t realize I would be so miserable.”

“I’ve been feeling awful since that day, too. I wanted to talk to you but you asked for time and I didn’t want to push you.”

“Yenn told me she saw you last week, that you’d told her you would call. And then you asked about a shirt.”

Jaskier snorted. “I wasn’t expecting you to pick up.”

“So.”

“So.”

Jaskier took a tentative step forward. “Would you take me back?” 

“Try and stop me.” Geralt pushed Jaskier against the wall and kissed him deeply. “I love you, you know?”

Jaskier nodded. “I know. I love you, too. Should we get out of here?” 

“Let’s just go say goodnight to everyone, I didn’t bring a present for Yenn so seeing us back together will have to count.” Geralt raised Jaskier’s hand to his lips and kissed his knuckles.

“After that, your place or my place?” Jaskier asked.

“How about our place?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! <3  
> This story was supposed to be a one-shot for the prompt "amusement park" and then it turned into the chronicle of a budding relationship. I hope you liked it!

**Author's Note:**

> So... I found a calendar of Pride Prompts and I wanted to write some drabbles but I haven't had a lot of time these weeks. For this fic the prompts I chose were: Out on a date/First date, Amusement park.  
> I might continue this in a series of 'modern adventures', even if Pride month is over.  
> As always, thank you for reading <3


End file.
